Letter: We need a leader who can unite Wisconsin

Maybe the all-important issue for the recall election in June is the concentration of power Wisconsin has allowed in our government. I am reminded of this by the primary campaigns of the Democrats.

A clear message from their campaigns is that Wisconsin needs to return to a "grass-roots democracy." We now have a non-collaborative, uncompromising, partisan and divisive style of governing that has diminished Wisconsin's reputation for good, clean, transparent government.

We need to return to the small "d" democratic principles that include a system of true checks and balances on out-of-control power. Let us start returning power to the people by reversing Walker's action that turned 37 civil service positions into political jobs to be filled by cronies. Let's restore the appointing of a DNR secretary to the Natural Resources Board. Let's restore the appointing of a Veterans Affairs secretary to the Board of Veterans Affairs.

Past governors besides Scott Walker have hoarded power in their office and have taken away Wisconsin citizens' voices and power. This has been supported by the obscene amounts of money that flow to this office by interest groups. What should be of more concern is that much of this money is from out of state.

Democracy does not function well with a too-powerful, dogmatic, unbending authoritarian leader.

Wisconsin needs a statesman who can unite and relate well to a grass roots democracy, an honest pragmatic leader who will collaborate and find the compromises that will help us all to collectively deal with the real issues facing this wonderful state.